Happiness In Adults Research Articles

Knit One, Play One: Comparing the Effects of Amateur Knitting and Amateur Music Participation on Happiness and Wellbeing

Previous research suggests that engaging in creative and meaningful leisure activities enhances mental health, wellbeing and quality of life. However, studies often explore specific creative activities in isolation. We compared happiness and wellbeing in adults involved in knitting (835 amateur knitters) and musical activities (122 amateur musicians). Participants completed the Subjective Happiness Scale, the BBC Subjective Wellbeing scale, and open-ended questions about past and current engagement. Knitters scored significantly higher on happiness than musicians. No differences were found for subjective wellbeing. Older participants scored more highly on all wellbeing measures, with no effect of time doing the activity. Open-ended responses were grouped into four themes. Learning and teaching was oriented towards communities of practice for knitters and formal teaching for musicians. Process involved positive and negative emotions, grouped around subthemes of self-care and sensory experiences. Outcome was associated with connections to others, expressed through pride or anxiety. Purpose linked to a sense of fulfilment, identity, and obsession. Despite differences between the activities, participants experienced broadly similar physical, psychological and social benefits. Further research should explore more creative and non-creative leisure activities to establish if these effects can be generalised and what other unique features may be involved.

Personality, Romantic Attitude, and Happiness in Young Adults

The present study investigated the relationship between personality traits, romantic attitude, and happiness in young adults. It was hypothesized that a positive relationship exists between extraversion, agreeableness, openness, romantic attitude, and happiness whereas neuroticism is negatively correlated with happiness. Nonprobability convenience sample of 150 students (85 women, 65 men), with age range of 18-25 years (M = 21.76, SD = 1.35) were selected from 3 educational institutions of Lahore. Neo Five-factor Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992a), Romantic Attitude Scale (Zafar & Amjad, 2012) and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (Hills & Argyle, 2002) were used to assess study variables. Correlation analyses revealed a significant positive relationship of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience with happiness. Romantic attitude had significant positive relationship with neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness. There was a significant negative relationship between neuroticism and happiness. Neuroticism, openness to experience, and extraversion were significant predictors of happiness. Neuroticism was the strongest significant negative predictor of happiness. Findings are discussed in view of theoretical and empirical implications.

Predictors of happiness among older Korean women living alone.

The level of happiness of older adults is associated with their psychosocial and physical health. Currently, little is known about the predictors of happiness among older women living alone in the community. The present study aimed to identify these predictors. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of older women who were living alone and were registered with a social welfare center in an old urban area in South Korea. We designated various demographic factors along with health-related information, perceived self-esteem and depressive symptoms as independent variables predicting happiness. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were carried out. In total, 154 participants were recruited. They showed a moderate level of happiness. Furthermore, happiness was negatively correlated with the number of comorbidities, presence of pain and depressive symptoms, but positively correlated with self-esteem. The final model in hierarchical regression showed that depressive symptoms were powerful predictors of happiness after controlling the covariates and accounted for approximately 76.7% of the total variances. The happiness of older women living alone was associated with their self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Interventions aimed at reducing depressive symptoms and improving self-esteem should be developed and applied to this population. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 352-356.

Determinants of happiness among youth in Malaysia

This study was conducted to identify factors associated with happiness among urban youth in Malaysia. Respondents were 400 youth community-dwelling residents in the metropolitan areas of Malaysia. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Findings showed that social and family environments and education predict the happiness of young adults. Surprisingly, the results also revealed a significant negative relationship between economic opportunities and their happiness, while health, ICT use, and civic engagement had no significant effect on their happiness. Our findings support the implementation of actions to stimulate social and family environments, education, and economic opportunities for young urban adults in Malaysia, particularly given the importance of these factors in the perception of their happiness.

Determinants of happiness among youth in Malaysia

This study was conducted to identify factors associated with happiness among urban youth in Malaysia. Respondents were 400 youth community-dwelling residents in the metropolitan areas of Malaysia. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Findings showed that social and family environments and education predict the happiness of young adults. Surprisingly, the results also revealed a significant negative relationship between economic opportunities and their happiness, while health, ICT use, and civic engagement had no significant effect on their happiness. Our findings support the implementation of actions to stimulate social and family environments, education, and economic opportunities for young urban adults in Malaysia, particularly given the importance of these factors in the perception of their happiness.

The Influence of Daily Social Interaction and Physical Activity on Daily Happiness of Korean Urban Older Adults

The Influence of Daily Social Interaction and Physical Activity on Daily Happiness of Korean Urban Older Adults

Aging and the Art of Happiness: Time Effects of A Positive Psychology Program with Older Adults

Background: Research has shown that positive psychology interventions can enhance subjective well-being and reduce depression, however, the efficacy of these programs with older adult populations has not been widely examined. The present study studied the short and long term impact of an intervention enhancing happiness and overall mental well-being in older adults. Method: The Art of Happiness is an 8-week program conducted at 2 senior centers in the state of Delaware. Each 90 minute class examined a different topic; (1) defining happiness, (2) stress management, (3) reflecting on happiness, (4) compassion and human connection, (5) forgiveness, (6) transforming suffering, (7) mindfulness, and (8) humor. Pre, post, and 6 months post program questionnaires assessed participant subjective happiness, stress, life satisfaction, depression, mindfulness, arousal states, and general demographic and health information. Results: 32 participants completed the course and were mostly married (43.8%), female (87.5%) and Caucasian (90.6%), with an age range of 53-84 years (70.91 + .70 years). After controlling for age, gender, and health issues, there was a significant time effect over 6 months post program for happiness, mood state of tiredness, and mindfulness constructs of non-judging and non-reactivity, stress, and satisfaction with life (p

Optimism as a mediator between resilience and affective states in older adults / El optimismo como mediador entre la resiliencia y estados afectivos en adultos mayores

The purpose of this study was to explore whether resilience is associated with and a predictor of depression, anxiety, negative and positive affect, life satisfaction and subjective happiness in older adults, and whether these relationships are mediated by optimism. To analyse this, different scales were administered to a sample of 240 elderly people and correlational and mediational analysis was carried out. The results showed relationships between all the variables. Similarly, we found that optimism is a partial mediator of the relationship between resilience and the aforementioned variables. Our results evidenced that increasing resilience and optimism in elderly people could be favourable to successful ageing.

Serious leisure profiles and well-being of older Korean adults

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between different levels of serious leisure qualities and the happiness, health perceptions, and life satisfaction of older Korean adults who are members of community-based, sports clubs. A cluster analysis was used in order to examine patterns of serious leisure qualities (e.g. perseverance, significant effort, career development, identification and unique ethos). The core devotees who identified higher levels of serious leisure qualities reported experiencing higher levels of happiness, health perceptions, and life satisfaction when compared to the moderate devotees. The results of this study suggest that serious leisure serves as a catalyst for health and well-being which can, in turn, contribute to successful ageing.

지역사회 재가노인의 행복에 영향을 미치는 요인

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influencing factors on the happiness of community-dwelling older adults in Korea. Methods: A convenience sample of older adults (N=191) who did not enrolled in any specific exercise programs participated in this cross-sectional correlational study. The data were collected from July to August, 2017. Participants were asked to respond to fill questionnaires including depression, physical activity, and happiness. Physical activity was classified according to physical activity scores(inactivity, minimally activity, health enhancing physical activity). Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, independent t-test, x2 test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and hierarchical multiple regression with SPSS (ver. 24.0). Results: The influencing factors on happiness were depression (β=-.64, p -.15, p=.014), and religion (have=1; β=.10, p=.029). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that the determinant variables accounted for 58% of the variation in the happiness (F=53.37, p<.001). Conclusion: These findings indicate that depression, physical activity and subjective health status influence the happiness of older adults who did not involved in any exercise program. Effective healthcare programs for managing depression and increasing the level of physical activity could increase the level of happiness among older adults.

Meditation for meaning in life and happiness of older adults: A multi-city experiment of the Brahma Kumaris’ Raja yoga practice

ABSTRACTThis article reports on a multi-city experiment of a customized Raja yoga meditation program in enhancing the meaning in life and happiness of older adults. Participant cohort was comprised of 698 older adult followers across 10 European and African cities with an equal number in the comparison group. Results indicated that meditation positively impacted the life satisfaction and happiness of participants. Post-test outcome measure scores were higher for participants from European cities, women, middle class, retired, never married, and widowed, with good self-rated health, who regularly attended the meditation sessions and self-practiced. Participants’ personal engagement through regular self-practice was the most significant predictor of higher post-test meaning in life and subjective happiness. Results imply that this specially designed Raja yoga meditation is a strong pastoral care practice that could be used with older adults with some variations based on cultural, biographical, and health profiles of participants and regular self-practice as a prerequisite.

Are pension types associated with happiness in Japanese older people?: JAGES cross-sectional study.

BackgroundAlthough many previous studies have examined the determinants of happiness in older adults, few have investigated the association between pension types and happiness. When compared to other conventional socioeconomic indicators, pension types may be more indicative of long-term socioeconomic status as they can reflect a person’s job history over their life course. This study examined the association between pension types and happiness in Japanese older people.MethodsCross-sectional survey data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study were used to analyze the association between pension types and happiness. The study population comprised 120152 participants from 2013. We calculated the prevalence ratios of happiness for the different pension types using Poisson regression models that controlled for age, sex, marital status, equivalent income, wealth, education level, working status, occupation, depression, and social support.ResultsAfter controlling for socioeconomic indicators, the prevalence ratios (95% confidence intervals) of happiness for no pension benefits, low pension benefits, and moderate pension benefits relative to high pension benefits were 0.77 (0.73–0.81), 0.95 (0.94–0.97), and 0.98 (0.97–0.99), respectively. However, the inclusion of depression as a covariate weakened the association between pension types and happiness.ConclusionsWhile pension types were associated with happiness after adjusting for other proxy measures of socioeconomic status, the association diminished following adjustment for depression. Pension types may provide rich information on socioeconomic status and depression throughout the course of life. In addition to conventional socioeconomic indicators, pension types should also be considered when assessing the determinants of happiness in older adults.

Storytelling contributes to resilience in older adults

ABSTRACTThis study suggests that storytelling provides a protective effect in older adults, from the symptoms of narrative foreclosure, which is the notion that one has nothing left to add to their life story. Small group storytelling is proposed as a simple and helpful way to the development of resilience in older adults. This exploratory study was structured as a small group case study with mixed methods of data collection. The case provides an example of a non-pharmaceutical intervention that demonstrates implementation of a storytelling group to increase happiness and well-being in older adults. Implications suggest use in gerontology, retirement transition, and holistic and alternative therapies.

Social Media Use and Happiness in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Social media (SM) use by adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not well understood. Co-occurring mental health concerns, such as depression, are common for adults with ASD. The current investigation explored the relationship between SM use and happiness in a population of adults with self-disclosed ASD. Of the 84 percent of the sample who used SM, those who used Facebook, the most popular site, were happier than those who did not. The same relationship did not exist for the second most popular site, Twitter. Happiness and SM use showed a quadratic relationship: Happiness and SM use increased together until they reached a point where happiness fell off. SM use by adults with ASD, specifically Facebook use in moderation, may enhance well-being and may be a protective factor against secondary mental health concerns common in this population.

Shared meanings of success, happiness, and health among adults with cerebral palsy and physiotherapists: implications for practice and research

Purpose: To describe shared meanings of success, happiness, and health of adults with cerebral palsy and physiotherapists.Materials and methods: Ethnography employed open ended/semi-structured interviews and structured questionnaires (Satisfaction with Life Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II®, Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Life Habits Questionnaire, Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey, and PROMIS® Pain Interference Scale). Content analysis of qualitative data and principal components analysis of questionnaire responses identified shared meanings.Results: Fourteen adults with cerebral palsy and 15 physiotherapists (median age 46) had similar levels of education. For both groups, social achievements, personal goals, employment, and supporting a family defined success. Adults with cerebral palsy more frequently identified tenacity and persistence as important for success. Both groups described happiness as spending time with loved ones, recreational activities, and having purpose in life. Adults with cerebral palsy identified the importance of self-acceptance for happiness. For both, health included self-care of mind/spirit, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal wellness, and physical fitness (the ability to perform physical tasks). Analysis of questionnaire responses identified shared meanings (eigenvalue 41, 95% explained variance).Conclusions: Adults with cerebral palsy and physiotherapists share similar experiences, behaviors, and feelings about success, happiness, and health. This knowledge may improve communication, enhance evidence-based practice, and foster services to support wellbeing.Implications for rehabilitationCerebral palsy is a life-long condition, but we know little about social and physical outcomes for adults with cerebral palsy.Lack of understanding about meanings of success, happiness, and health may be a barrier for consumers accessing and for providers delivering evidence-based services.Physiotherapists and adults with cerebral palsy share similar meanings (feelings, experiences, beliefs, behaviors) of success, happiness, and health- or wellbeing.Knowledge of this common ground may result in improved communication between providers and consumers, and foster more relevant and meaningful services to support the wellbeing of adults with cerebral palsy.

Contextual correlates of happiness in European adults.

ObjectivesWe aimed to examine the associations of both objectively assessed and perceived physical and social neighborhood characteristics with happiness in European adults. In addition, we aimed to study how these associations differed among subgroups.MethodsParticipants (N = 6037) of the cross-sectional SPOTLIGHT survey reported on their level of happiness using a 5-point Likert scale, and on perceived physical and social environmental neighborhood characteristics. Objective physical environmental characteristics were assessed using a Google Street View-based neighborhood audit. Associations of 14 physical and social environmental characteristics with happiness were analyzed using multivariable multinomial regression analyses with clustered standard errors.ResultsLiving in neighborhoods with higher levels of aesthetics and more water and green space was associated with being very happy. Individuals who perceived their neighborhood to be safer, more functional and more aesthetic were more likely to be very happy. The associations of functionality and aesthetics with happiness were strongest in the Ghent region (Belgium), the Randstad (the Netherlands) and Greater London (United Kingdom). Perceived absence of air pollution was only associated with higher levels of happiness in more highly educated participants. Individuals with a larger social network, more social cohesion and who trusted their neighbors were more likely to be very happy. The association between social networks and happiness was somewhat stronger in men than in women. In general, the associations between environmental characteristics and happiness had similar directions and sizes across socio-economic and socio-demographic subgroups.ConclusionsThis European study provided evidence that both objectively assessed and perceived physical and social characteristics of the neighborhood environment are associated with the happiness of its residents.

Subjective happiness among Japanese adults: An upward tendency associated with age

Objectives The present study investigated subjective happiness in Japanese adults and offers basic knowledge for future studies. In addition, how subjective happiness varies in relation to certain demographic variables, such as gender and age, as well as factors that influence this variability, are examined.Methods A total of 2,000 Japanese people (1,000 females and 1,000 males) over the age of 20 completed an anonymous self-report internet survey. There were approximately the same number of participants in each of six age groups ranging from the 20s to 70s. How Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) scores were related to various demographic variables, including gender and age, as well as happiness, life satisfaction, and stress response, were analyzed.Results The validity of the SHS was supported by positive correlations with happiness and life satisfaction scores and negative correlation with stress response scores. The results also showed that females had higher SHS scores than males, and this gender difference was distinctive, especially among young adults. In addition, there was a U-shaped change in SHS score by age. That is, subjective happiness dropped with age, but started increasing again after the 50s. The same findings were reconfirmed by an additional survey one year later. Moreover, those with a spouse showed higher SHS scores than unmarried participants. Lastly, SHS scores were low among those whose highest education was junior high school and those who lived alone, although the limitations of sampling bias should be considered.Conclusion The SHS is an internationally accepted measure of subjective happiness consisting of only four items and can easily be used in public health research and practice. The current study offers basic information regarding SHS scores as well as subjective happiness in Japanese adults of different age groups and genders. The findings of the present study clearly indicate higher levels of subjective happiness among older age groups than younger ones, those with a spouse than those without a spouse, and females than males. As many studies conducted in other cultures have shown no such gender difference, further cross-cultural comparison studies are needed to clarify this discrepancy. The SHS as an indicator of personal well-being can be strongly expected to show extended utility in the future.

Effects of gender and education on happiness in Argentinian adults

Happiness is defined as a positive emotion focusing on the present, which is highly desirable but difficult to achieve. To estimate the level of happiness in adults, we used the Argentinian version of the Happiness Scale of Lima (EFL, Alarcon, 2006). The EFL measures three dimensions: External Perspective of Sense of Life (SVPE), Internal Perspective of Sense of Life (SVPI) and Life Satisfaction (SCV). Three independent samples of 200 individuals each (50% female) were selected considering different educational levels (from high school graduates to college graduates). A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to each dimension taking into account gender and educational level as fixed factors. In all three dimensions, the interaction between having a higher educational level and being female favored significantly the highest scores of happiness (SVPE, F = 4.14, p = .02, partial η2 = .014; SVPI, F = 2.34, p = .09, partial η2 = .008; SCV, F = 3.34, p = .04, partial η2 = .011). A higher level of education by itself resulted in SVPE and SVPI higher happiness scores (SVPE, F = 4.12, p = .02, partial η2 = .014; SVPI, F = 4.24, p = .02; partial η2 = .014), whereas being female was the factor that significantly increased the levels of SCV happiness (F = 3.03, p = .08, partial η2 = .005).

Happiness, Life Satisfaction, Resiliency and Social Support in Students with Dyslexia

ABSTRACTMany people with dyslexia experience numerous failures in their lifetime. This can reduce their life satisfaction and the sense of happiness. However, external support and one’s personal resources, for example resiliency, aid in dealing with difficult situations. Our study verified the importance of resiliency and perceived social support for the level of life satisfaction and the sense of happiness in Polish students with and without dyslexia, studying at both state and non-state universities. We used the Cantril Self-Anchoring Scale, SHI-PL Questionnaire, Resiliency Scale, and Social Support Questionnaire. The results showed that students with dyslexia demonstrated lower levels of: life satisfaction, positive emotions, resiliency, perceived/expected emotional and practical support, and general social support. The difference in happiness remained at the level of a statistical trend. Therefore, we conclude that dyslexia may be treated a risk factor in terms of happiness and life satisfaction in young adults.

Contextual correlates of happiness in European adults - the SPOTLIGHT study

Contextual correlates of happiness in European adults - the SPOTLIGHT study